A visual arts blog that focuses on everything that makes our world strange and beautiful.

Hotbed of biodiversity: Fascinating images of wildlife from the Galapagos Islands

By: Catie Leary

April 21, 2014, 8 a.m.

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All photos: Francis Capilitan/500px

After an exciting expedition to the Galápagos Islands last month, freelance photographer Francis Capilitan returned to his home in Buckeye, Ariz., with some extraordinary images of the diverse range of wildlife he encountered.

A few of the animals Capilitan documented on his trip can be found below, along with his comments on how he got each shot. Be sure to visit Capilitan's 500px portfolio to see more of his outstanding work!

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Sally lightfoot crabs

"My first experimentation working with waves and animals."

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Yellow-crowned night heron

"The first surprise of many on the expedition. This Yellow-crowned Night Heron went after a crab in plain sight. Made for a very unique opportunity that I'm glad I captured."

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Galapagos sea lions

"Sun bathing on one of the many white beaches of Isla Espanola."

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Lava lizard

"Experimentation with angles. Before I would just keep standing while taking pictures. I got flat to the ground for this one and I like how it turned out."

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Sally lightfoot crab

"I got the shutter speed at the right speed for when the wave came washing over this crab to get both a glossy water and the fine sand washing everywhere. Bonus points for the water spilling around and over the crab itself. Never done something like this before."

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Española Mockingbird

"The bird hopped into some nearby foliage creating this capture. I'm especially glad it did just that."

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Galápagos sea lion

"This guy sat on a rocky outcrop above where the zodiac was cruising. I would've been nuts not to have snapped the picture."

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Marine iguana

"Caught them resting in the last rays of sunlight."

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Lava gull

"There were a bunch of them around the rocks, but this one was the most curious & least photo finicky."